The already insane Asheville beer scene is about to foam over with excitement as more breweries prepare to join the party.

There’s Oyster House Brewing, a nano operation that began in 2009 inside The Lobster Trap restaurant and is now producing beer in its new digs in West Asheville (more on them to come). There’s Morganton-based Catawba Valley’s recent announcement of an expansion brewery and tasting room in Biltmore Village expected to open by the end of the summer. There’s Hi-Wire Brewing in the old Craggie Brewing space on Hilliard Avenue, which is already sending beer out to several accounts around town and is in the midst of a major transformation of the old tasting room there (more on that to come as well).

And just a few blocks away, joining Hi-Wire, Green Man, Wicked Weed and Asheville Brewing Co. in the burgeoning South Slope area of town, there’s Burial Beer Co. about to open its doors on Saturday. Though I wouldn’t plan on paying a visit tomorrow, as space is limited at the 40 Collier Ave. facility – just steps away from Green Man’s Dirty Jack’s tap room – and Asheville’s many beer fans will be lining up to get the first pours.

Burial brings to the table one of the more unique set-ups and business plans, as each of these breweries tries to create its own niche in the ever-crowded Asheville beer market. Brewers/owners Doug Reiser and buddy Tim Gormley are starting out brewing on a 1-barrel system (that’s 31-gallon batches), with an emphasis on Belgian-style ales and German-style lagers. According to co-owner Jess Reiser, Doug’s wife, the trio want to use the Collier Avenue facility to hone in on recipes and determine which beers are working based on public feedback.

Eventually, the Resiers and Gormley plan to move onto a 4-acre property somewhere in the rural outskirts of the city limits and open an actual European-style farmhouse brewery with a tasting room inside of a barn. There, they hope to produce an “estate” line of beers in 750-milliliter bottles on a larger brew system, which could include hops and fruit home-grown on the farm.

This organic, old world approach is how Burial’s owners came up with the name of their business, as death is a part of the cycle of farming, brewing and life itself, Jess Reiser explained. And so the shovels, scythes, hoes and pitchforks that adorn the walls and brewery grounds serve as a double-meaning.

As mentioned, space is tight for now, with a capacity of only 25 for the time being. For tomorrow’s grand opening, Burial has secured a special-event permit to open an area in the back that will double capacity to 50. The Resiers and Gormley, who moved to WNC six months ago from Seattle, hope to eventually utilize the space full-time, complete with lawn games and an art gallery showcasing local artists’ work. They also plan to work with food trucks down the road so that patrons can enjoy a bite to eat with their beer.

Speaking of beer, Burial has eight brews ready to go thanks to some late-night work by Doug Resier and Gormley (who have full-time day jobs): Scythe Rye Pale Ale (7 percent ABV); Pitchfork Saison, Burial’s 8 percent, Abbey ale-like, flagship version of the style; Hatchet North Carolina Lager, a German-style Helles poured through a Randall of whole-leaf hops; Reaper Tripel, an 8.5 percent Trappist-style brew made with local honey and French oak chips; Voorhamer imperial stout (9.3 percent); Hacksaw Dark Lager; a 5 percent German-style dunkel (meaning “dark”); Skillet Donut Stout; a 7.5 percent brew made with coffee beans from Biltmore Coffee Traders and served with doughnut garnishes on a stick (big hit at the recent Beer City Festival, I hear); and Billhook Saison, a 7 percent golden-hued offering made with the New Zealand hop variety Nelson Sauvin as well as kiwi puree.

Starting next week, Burial will be open from 4 to 8 p.m. on Fridays and 2 to 8 p.m. on Saturdays.

FLOORED BY SIERRA NEVADA

Work on Sierra Nevada’s state-of-the-art brewery in Mills River continues to progress, and things really seem to be coming together. Check out this blog post on the company’s website about the the thousands of specialty floor tiles – able to withstand extreme conditions of the brewing process – being installed by craftsmen who flew in from Germany for the intricate job.

Lots of small changes in store for next Thursday’s Rhythm and Brews concert in downtown Hendersonville that should make a big difference with beer lines and elbow room in front of the stage. More on that next week.